Airbnb is branching out from accommodation, providing a new wave of "immersive" travel experiences to guests.

Trips, as the experiences are dubbed, include some 500 tours and activities ranging from truffle-hunting in Tuscany to marathon running in Kenya.

The experiences, presented with video and booked in the same way a user would secure a room or apartment rental, aim to hook visitors up with "the hidden gems that only locals know about via personal recommendations", it says.

Announced at the Airbnb Open conference this week, Trips was described as "the most significant development in [the company's] eight-year history."

The feature will debut in 12 cities, ranging from single activities "like a Samurai Swordplay workshop" to multi-day experiences "like driving classic cars in Malibu."

Prices vary, with around half reported to cost under $200/€187.

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky launches Trips

Experiences will soon be available in 39 other cities, including Dublin (hosts in these cities have been invited to submit tours and activities for listing).

“Until now, Airbnb has been about homes,” said Brian Chesky, Airbnb CEO.

“Today, Airbnb is launching Trips, bringing together where you stay, what you do, and the people you meet all in one place.”

Similar to Ryanair, Airbnb is rapidly diversifying its offering, with the company suggesting the debut of Airbnb Flights and restaurant bookings in the future.

This week, it also launched 100 Insider Guidebooks in six cities – Los Angeles, San Francisco, Havana, Nairobi, Detroit and Seoul – with more coming soon.